THE THIRD BOOK OF THE COURTIER these things are so difficult to do, that they are almost impos- sible. Therefore if our Courtier would follow my advice, I should exhort him to keep his love affairs secret." 68.— Then messer Bernardo said: " There is need, then, for you to teach him how, and methinks it is of no small importance; for, besides the signals which men sometimes make so covertly that almost without a motion the person whom they wish reads in their face and eyes what is in their heart, — I have sometimes heard a long and free love talk between two lovers, of which, however, those present could understand clearly no details at all or even be sure that the talk was about love. And the reason of this lay in the speakers' dis- cretion and precaution; for without showing any sign of annoy- ance at being listened to, they whispered only those words that signified, and spoke aloud the rest, which could be construed in different senses." Then messer Federico said: " To speak thus minutely about these precautions of secrecy would be a journey into the infinite; hence I would rather have some little discussion as to how the lover ought to maintain his lady's favour, which seems to me much more necessary." 69.— The Magnifico replied: " I think that those means which serve to win it serve also to maintain it; and all this consists in pleasing the lady of our love without ever offending her. Wherefore it would be diffi- cult to give any fixed rule for it; since in countless ways he who is not very discreet sometimes makes mistakes that seem little and yet grievously offend the lady's spirit; and this befalls those, more than others, who are overmastered by passion: like some who, whenever they have means of speaking to the lady whom they love, lament and complain so bitterly and often wish for things that are so impossible, that they become w^earisome by their very importunity. Others, when they are stung by any jealousy, allow themselves to be so carried away by their grief that they heedlessly run into speaking evil of him whom they suspect, and sometimes without fault either on his part or on the lady's, and insist that she shall not speak to him or even turn her eyes in the direction where he is. And by this behaviour 234
